retail therapy
by sunshard
Summary: Crushes make good business. In which Hinata works a lot of retail jobs and Sasuke spends a lot of pocket money. AU.


(This story is dedicated to Jason and Isabel, though I didn't know it at the time I began writing it. If you're reading this, you two, you both suck.)

There's a fatal inaccuracy in this story. See if you can find it.

* * *

Of the many urban legends in the city of Konoha (among them: Police Chief Maito Gai's limitless supply of bright green spandex jumpsuits; the mayor's son's equal parts impressive and nauseating ability to scarf down ten bowls of ramen in one sitting; and the elusive face of Hatake Kakashi underneath that mask he insisted on constantly wearing), the one about the wealth of Yamanaka Inoichi was one of the most puzzling, if not the most mentally stimulating. Ask any schoolgirl on the street what she cared more about – what Kakashi's face looked like or where Inoichi got all his money from – and it would be a fair bet that she would start seriously debating whether Kakashi's nose was straight or aquiline and whether that made him more or less attractive (with dreamy sighs punctuating in between), and not instead discuss the viability of the theory that Inoichi had lucrative ties to the local mafia (involving, of course, flowers bred with addictive components that could be made into drugs, traded for large sums of money). Still, this did not make the matter any less interesting and inexplicable.

When questioned on the sources of her family's riches, Inoichi's only daughter Ino would shrug off the inquiry by denying that they were well off at all. Once the interrogator inevitably pointed out that combined with the fact that her father apparently only ran one business (the flower shop) and Ino's tendency to never wear the exact same outfit twice, her penchant for giving away pieces of her makeup collection to any friend at the barest hint of needing a new cosmetic item, and her refusal to allow her dates to ever foot dinner bills on their own, obviously there was something more going on there – Ino would utter vague and meaningless phrases about the cyclical nature of the economy and real values of minimum wages and then change the subject by suggesting they get lunch (often offering to pay for it as well). Hinata had seen conversations pan out like this almost too many times to count, each time with no further revelations into the mystery of the Yamanaka fortune. All she learned instead was that a really surefire way to net a free lunch was to bother Ino about her family's private life, apparently.

Maybe there was something to that addiction theory after all, though, because the Yamanaka flower shop never stopped flourishing, even as Konoha became less of a town and more of a city. Never mind special occasions – each day found a regular stream of people coming in not simply to say hello but to make actual purchases as well. Observers less fond of conspiracy theories were more likely to point to Ino's ability to cajole her many pretty friends into working the occasional shift as a reason for the shop's continual success as opposed to any narcotic in the blooms themselves. The unbalanced ratio of male to female customers vigorously supported this fact. And to just drop in to admire the workers and not buy something would seem so crass! So, young men got their easy interactions with pretty girls, the girls got and for the most point enjoyed the safe harmless attention, and the flower shop raked in the profits. Of course Inoichi would never admit to using such shady business techniques, but Ino would always be proud of the fact that the flower shop had been where Sasuke and Hinata first met.

* * *

"So you're turning down my dinner invitation?"

Ino waved a manicured hand dismissively in the air, blue eyes still fixed on the sheet of paper on the counter in front of her. "Please, it was hardly an invitation. You just want me there so that Sakura doesn't pester you."

Sasuke sighed, because she was right. "You know what she's like. Come on, Yamanaka."

Straightening up, Ino put her hands on her hips and gave him a look. "She hasn't had a crush on you for years, Sasuke. You know she's just teasing you at this point. Honestly, it is so easy for her and Uzumaki to push your buttons."

Sasuke quirked his mouth in a frown. As annoying as it was to acknowledge, Ino was right, again. Over the years, despite his best efforts, Naruto and Sakura had worn down his resistance to their friendship with their tireless, annoying persistence till he had no choice but to be resigned to their constant presence – sort of like tapeworms, or fungal growths. Still, Naruto was generally more bearable than Sakura, who was more likely to act like she was his annoying big sister or something and call him out for being "tactless" or "emotionally distant" or "a crappy friend" or you know, whatever. "Your loss, Ino."

"Oh, I'm _crushed_," Ino deadpanned, grinning at him despite her tone. "Absolutely devastated. Anyway, everything on the form looks like it's in order, so if you'd just get out your credit card while I go check on our inventory that would be great."

Before Sasuke could protest having to wait any longer, the blonde young woman whirled about and disappeared behind some shelves in the back. He sighed and pulled his card out of his money clip, placing it on the counter as the door chime jingled behind him.

"…do you know your wife's favorite color, then?" He could hear a soft, unfamiliar voice ask as the door swung closed again.

"Some sort of lavender, I think. A pretty color. Like your eyes." Sasuke rolled his eyes. What a line. It sounded like an old man's voice, too – even creepier.

The resulting laugh from the girl accompanying him was lovely, though – not uttered only for the sake of being polite, but obviously not taking the line as actual creepy flattery, either. It sounded _refreshing_. Sasuke found himself turning to get a look at who this girl was. He was pretty sure he knew nearly every female in Konoha, and yet her voice wasn't familiar to him.

A Hyuuga. Of course. The eye comment made sense now. For one of Ino's friends, she was dressed relatively conservatively in navy blue leggings and a zipped up purple jacket. The girl was pretty, in an understated way, _classically_ pretty; long dark hair, creamy skin, fine cheekbones. The grandpa said something funny again as she reached over to take a single flower out of a bucket and she had to drop it to bend over laughing. And right then Sasuke was suffused with strong feelings of fondness for the old man and his attempts to be funny, because the girl really had the most attractive laugh – utterly charming and genuine.

Ino returned to the counter, slapping down a piece of paper. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she saw how Konoha's biggest heartbreaker was eyeing her friend.

"She's cute," he observed, without turning his head to look at Ino. "What's her name?"

Ino took his credit card and swiped it, giving him a distrustful look as she presented it back to him. "No. Oh, no. I'm not telling you. You're not corrupting her _that_ easily, Uchiha. That girl is a _keeper_, and you're going to have to work for her."

"What is it with you today?" said Sasuke, irritated, as he put the card back in his money clip. "All you've done since I came in here is reject me."

The Yamanaka girl waved away his words again, a gesture he was really starting to find annoying. "Oh, get over yourself. Here's your receipt, sign at the bottom."

Sasuke took the proffered pen with ill grace and scribbled down his signature. "I liked you better when you had a thing for me."

Ino snorted. "Sure you did. Have fun at your dinner, Sasuke."

She held up his receipt. The young man glared at it like it was responsible for all his troubles before snatching it from her fingers. He stuck it in his back pocket and purposefully turned towards the mystery girl, then faltered when he saw she was serving the old man at the other register. Ino put her chin on her joined hands and smiled at his frustration.

"Thanks for your order," she said sweetly. "I hope it's to your liking."

"Oh, I'm sure it will be," Sasuke responded, turning back to her and fixing his eyes squarely to hers. "I'll be back for it."

He spoke in such a tone of dark finality that Ino paused, hesitating even despite her initial confidence in her ability to keep her friend away from him. After all, this was Uchiha Sasuke she was messing with. Sure, he was cocky as hell, but _for a reason_. Most of the time, he got what he wanted.

While Ino was thinking about all of this, expression growing more concerned than smug at this point, Sasuke decided to take his leave. The blonde young woman didn't even notice as the door chime sang his exit, too busy trying to recall what her schedule would be like on the day he was coming back in for his order.

In the meantime, the old man wrapped up his order at the other register and went on his way as well, cradling his purchased posy of violets in his hands. Ino didn't notice him leave, either.

"Who was that? An old friend?"

Ino finally snapped out of her reverie and looked over towards the other counter. "Oh, something like that."

"You seem sort of…out of it. He wasn't rude to you, was he?"

"No! No, no, Hinata, nothing like that. He's…harmless," Ino trailed off. "Harmless," she repeated, more like she was trying to convince herself than her friend.

* * *

Ino's preoccupation with trying to keep Hinata safe from Sasuke didn't last long – distracted with the logistics of organizing a birthday party for the daughter of her former teacher, she spent so much time running errands all over the city and going in and out of the shop that Hinata ended up taking on most of her shifts that week. The young woman didn't mind – though Ino had been the one to ask her to start working some hours at the shop, Hinata had her own reasons for helping her friend beyond mere altruism.

Wednesday was about as slow a day as a day at the Yamanaka shop was – the usual crowd of young men resulting in several dozen sales made and numerous date offers rebuffed. It was only Hinata in that day, with no one at the other counter. She actually found the brief moments of solitude she got in between customers as sort of a nice break. Ino and the other girls who came into work occasionally were sweethearts, but sometimes they didn't know when to be quiet. Hinata had been raised to use her words like weapons – sparingly, but with precise purpose. And while she hadn't ever quite gotten the hang of mentally ripping someone to shreds with a few choice words like Hanabi could or ever had people hang onto her every word like they did with Neji when he decided to open his mouth, she knew the value of silence.

Many people, knowing her only as a quiet and reserved person, were surprised to find that she was so close to Ino, one of the chattiest and most stereotypically feminine girls in Konoha. Then again, a lot of the boys that had used to tease Hinata for being shy and weird in elementary school were in the shop nowadays telling her how cute she was. She was used to being underestimated. Their hypocrisy didn't really bother her, either – she herself wasn't totally proud of how she had been when she was younger. Remembering the awful stuttering and badly cut bangs and constant blushing gave Hinata a headache.

Ino had been one of the few people to see past her shortcomings and treat her with genuine kindness. There really was a lot more to the Yamanaka than what most people assumed. She was just…better than most at using her gender as it suited her. Clever, like her father. Her generosity wasn't just limited to Hinata, either; Hinata remembered how Ino had befriended Haruno Sakura when everyone else was busy making fun of the size of the pink-haired girl's forehead. Of course, now Sakura was interning at one of the most prestigious hospitals in Konoha and, whenever she decided to drop by the flower shop to pick up a shift for fun, drove up sales in that hour to ridiculous numbers. Ino really knew how to pick them.

Thinking about her own job situation, Hinata's eyes practically glazed over with worry. Her father wouldn't be patient with her little project for long, but she really didn't want to do it halfway. He would just have to wait a while longer.

The door chimed a new customer, and for once Hinata didn't pay it any heed, too caught up in thinking about what she would say to her father the next time she ate dinner at the family house. She was still daydreaming when the newcomer sauntered up to the counter.

"Hey, sweetheart!"

Hinata looked up, and blinked. "Oh. Hanabi."

Her younger sister arched an eyebrow. She looked like she was on the way to the gym, dressed in a red tanktop and cropped black leggings, with her hair up in a loose ponytail. "Great customer service you've got going there."

Hinata reddened with embarrassment. Leave it to Hanabi to make her feel like she was twelve again. "What are you doing here?" she asked, to change the subject. "Neji didn't send you, did he?"

Hanabi leaned her elbows on the counter, and nosily glanced at the book Hinata had out in front of her. "Actually, he did. He wanted to make sure no one was harassing you while you were working at 'that woman's' shop." She bent her fingers in air quotes.

"Ino is perfectly wholesome." And Neji could be a total idiot sometimes.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger." Hanabi reached up to fiddle with the charms hanging on the back of the cash register but stopped when Hinata tilted her head at her. "Anyway, while I was here I wanted to ask you for a favor. Uncle wants me to go to Seoul with him for a month and no one can cover my shift at the coffee shop for that long…"

Hinata frowned at her. "A month? Father is all right with that?"

"Oh, you know he doesn't care at all about what I do." Hanabi smiled, with a bit of teeth. "You, on the other hand…"

Hinata shifted in her seat and crinkled her eyes. "Fine, fine. Tell me the details later."

Her sister straightened up and flicked her usual stray lock of dark hair out of her eyes. "Awesome. You're coming to dinner, right?"

"Oh…I was planning to come in a couple days, actually. Not tonight, though."

Hanabi gave her a look and put her hands on her hips, bending forward. "Wow. Don't be such a chicken."

Hinata nearly groaned aloud. If she tried to refuse, Hanabi would never leave her alone again. "Fine. I'll…be there."

The younger girl leaned back on her heels, satisfied. "Right then. So what's the most expensive thing in this shop?"

"That isn't a commission? That bouquet over there." Hinata pointed at the bloom of white lilies in the window display. She had seen Hanabi's weird spending habit far too many times to be surprised by it at this point. Sure enough, the girl was already pulling out her wallet.

"You can bring it home after you're done with work, right? I didn't drive here, so I don't want to carry it around."

"Of course, Hanabi," Hinata said patiently.

"All right then. See you tonight!" Hanabi whirled on her feet and made her way out of the shop, humming. As she walked out the door, a customer went past her on his way inside, not even sparing her a glance as she skipped by.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop," Hinata called, as the man made his way up to the counter. "How may I help you?"

The man stopped in front of her and didn't speak for a moment, as he was currently focused on the screen of his phone, and Hinata suddenly remembered why he looked vaguely familiar. She had caught a glimpse of the person Ino had had a long chat with the other day in the shop – a young man that looked about their age, well-dressed with carelessly styled black hair, handsome as a male model with a smooth voice like dark chocolate. He looked like the sort of guy Ino would squeal over and other girls she knew would fall for in an instant. Hinata wasn't quite so charmed, just because there was something about him that vaguely reminded her of Neji. They both seemed sort of…self-assured in such a way that indirectly suggested everyone else was somehow inferior in comparison.

Then again, she didn't even know the guy. Maybe she was reading too much into things.

The young man finally shoved his phone back in his pocket, looking up with an irritated expression that quickly shifted into one of surprise when once he saw her.

"It's you," he said.

Hinata blinked. "Do we know each other?"

"No," he said bluntly, and to make things more mysterious for her, left it at that. "I'm here to pick up a commission. Should be under the name Uchiha Sasuke."

Hinata was certain she had heard that last name somewhere before. Did one of Neji's old girlfriends have it? A business contact of Father? Someone she had gone to college with?...Uchiha was a pretty common surname, anyway, it could've been from anywhere. She hurriedly straightened up when he cocked an eyebrow at her, and told him, "Just a moment. It should be in the back."

Moving behind the shelves to the refrigerator, it didn't take her very long to locate the bouquet of pale pink peonies with a tag matching the number on the order form. She pulled it up out of the vase and couldn't help but notice the paper attached to the bouquet, marked with the word "Mother" in Ino's prettiest cursive.

Back at the counter, Uchiha Sasuke was again staring at the screen of his phone with ill-concealed annoyance. He glanced up as she placed the bouquet on the counter and pocketed the device with a sigh.

"Need my receipt?"

"Hm? Oh!" Hinata leaned over a bit to look at the slip of paper he was brandishing, feeling like an idiot. "I-it looks fine," she said lamely. "Thank you."

On any other day, Sasuke would have taken hold of that "thank you" and used it as an opportunity to make some teasing remark in response ("Shouldn't I be thanking you?" or something easy like that), but that text message was still bothering him. He wasn't in the mood to flirt, which was a shame…because even though a week had passed, the mystery girl was still as effortlessly charming as ever.

He left the receipt on the counter, and picked up the bouquet. The girl opened her mouth as if to say something, paused, and seemed to change her mind.

"Can I help you with anything else?" she said instead.

"That should be fine."

The young woman inclined her head. "Then, have a nice day. Thank you for your patronage, Mr. Uchiha."

Out on the sidewalk outside the shop, Sasuke almost began to regret his decision not to talk with her more. But he was right, he finally concluded. Today wasn't the right day. Of course, that just meant he would have to come back again.

* * *

Hinata survived the family dinner that night, mostly by skillfully diverting attention from herself to Hanabi and her trip to South Korea (which, surprise, Father was not so okay with after all). Neji normally would have been more of a hassle, but with his upcoming meeting with the ministry officials, he had a lot on his mind.

The rest of the week wasn't so bad. Ino ended up having to be out of the shop again for most of it, so Hinata continued to man the counter. Interestingly enough, Uchiha Sasuke came in several more times, making a number of purchases – not commissions like the first time, but still relatively expensive flowers (and a lot of single roses, for some reason) and leaving needlessly generous tips. Considering he made small talk each time with her, but never bothered to overtly flirt, Hinata figured he was either uninterested or, if anything, had a lot of other girlfriends off somewhere else (which would explain all those roses he was buying).

One day, feeling more forward than usual (something that maybe had more than a little to do with hearing that Neji's meeting with the bureaucrats had not gone as well as he'd liked), Hinata asked him a question while rang up his order.

"So who are all the flowers for, Mr. Uchiha?"

The young man looked at her in surprise, which Hinata supposed was not undue. This was the first time she had ever spoken to him about anything outside of a business transaction. Still, so many visits had bred an odd sense of familiarity between them. In her mind, anyway.

His dark eyes quickly relaxed, though, and he gave her an easy smile. "Call me Sasuke. As for who the flowers are for, well…"

The door chimes jingled, momentarily distracting the two from their conversation as a new customer entered. Hinata treated the middle-aged woman with a smile before looking back to Sasuke.

"My mother," he clarified. "She's been very sick, and she loves flowers."

"Oh…" Hinata's heart swelled in adoration. To think that behind his veneer of pure confidence and self-assurance was a thoughtful soul who cared so deeply for his mother – she couldn't help having a soft spot for this kind of thing.

"…But then she got better, so I just kept coming in to see you."

All the warm and fuzzy feelings Hinata had shriveled up and died. She gave him the most judgmental look she'd ever made in her life.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was wondering what the hell was wrong with him. She was clearly the girl who loved a sob story, and he could've kept milking it to the very end…why had he decided now, of all times, to be honest? Some playboy he was.

It was just…hard to lie to her, he supposed. She seemed way too earnest, kind of like Itachi. Ah, well.

The young woman snapped the receipt that had just printed and handed it to him. "Here you go…Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke took it, eyes crinkling. "I've got no chance with you now, do I?"

For a moment, the girl didn't answer, writing something down on the ledger in front of her. Then she glanced up at him and said, "At least you admitted it, unlike all the other guys who come in here."

Interesting. "My mother really was sick," he pointed out.

The girl smiled. "And I'm glad she got better, Sasuke."

She'd used his first name again. That was all kinds of progress, right?

"Well, it was nice meeting you." The girl subtly eyed the woman standing behind him, next in line.

"Yeah." Sasuke almost turned to go, before changing his mind and leaning back on the counter (to the annoyance of the other customer). "…Actually, wait a minute. You can't really say we've met each other if you haven't told me your name."

"Oh?" The girl looked thoughtful. "I guess not, but…you owe me, Sasuke. Maybe I'll tell you my name another time."

"Fair," the Uchiha conceded. "I'll see you around."

Once he was gone, the next customer finally stepped up to the counter and placed her flowers down.

"Afternoon, Mrs. Nara," said Hinata, lifting the tag on the flower to input its code into the cash register.

"That boy bothering you, Hinata?" questioned Shikamaru's mother, with a wry smile.

"No, not really." Hinata struggled to swallow her smile as she finished inputting the numbers. "That'll be fifteen hundred yen…"

* * *

Later that day, Mikoto glanced up from her book as she heard the door slide open.

"Mother?"

"In the living room, Sasuke."

Her second son came strolling in from the parlor, briefcase in one hand and a bouquet of pink snapdragons hanging carelessly from the other. "Need a hand with making dinner?"

Mikoto shook her head, and added with a smile, "You know, sweetheart, you don't have to keep buying me flowers…"

Sasuke blinked, just as Itachi came in from the patio and shut the glass door behind him.

"Sasuke? You're home early."

The young man turned to his older brother, not bothering with a greeting. "Done anything cool lately, Itachi?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow, but humored the question. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "I still haven't been called into the hospital yet and I've only had three cups of coffee today."

"Congrats for that, then." Sasuke handed him the bouquet of snapdragons and walked off into the kitchen without another word.

Itachi looked down at the bouquet in his hand, before surveying the room, which was more or less filled with flowers blooming from vases on every table and windowsill.

"Sasuke's been busy, hmm?" he remarked.

Mikoto turned back to her book, trying not to smile. "There's certainly someone on his mind…"

* * *

Sasuke didn't drop by the flower shop in the days following their last encounter. Hinata wasn't there, either, but she learned about his discontinued patronage after she couldn't help asking Ino about it. Her friend had been reluctant to say anything at first ("Hinata, did he ask you out?" - "N-no!" – "Are you…_interested_ in him?!" "NO! Ino, I'm just a little curious…"), but revealed that he hadn't shown up since.

To be honest, Hinata was more than a little curious, but she had another job to start doing. She almost forgot about him with all the busy-ness of settling into her new environment, though she should have expected that they would meet again in a city as small as Konoha.

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes, and grimaced. The smell of antiseptics filled the air, and his side still throbbed dully. He was lying in an unfamiliar bed, covered by a thin blanket.

What the hell, where am I? was his first thought. When it did process in his mind just where he was, his second thought was, wait, did I really go through with _this_ for _that_ idiot –

He didn't have a chance to finish his thought, because a blur of orange came bursting through the door, barreling straight for him.

"Naruto, _don't_ – " a voice came from behind the newcomer (who was, of course, "that idiot" that had been just occupying his thoughts), but it was completely ignored. Sasuke was unceremoniously jumped upon by his rather heavy friend. His side twinged painfully in protest.

"Bastard!" Naruto was so goddamn heavy. "You really do love me!"

"Sakura, help." Sasuke groaned. "…My stitches – "

"Naruto, I _told_ you to be gentle!" Sakura came marching over and shoved him off. "He _just_ woke up, idiot."

Naruto collected himself off the floor and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, I'm just so happy…"

"Oh, save it," grumbled Sasuke, pushing himself up so his head was propped against the pillows. "You would've done the same for me. Sakura, too."

Sakura turned to shut the door, before taking the clipboard from the front of the bed and eyeing it. "You were asleep for so long, Sasuke, we were starting to get worried."

Sasuke watched as Naruto threw open the blinds on the other end of the hospital room, letting sunlight flood in. "Why the hell does he not have to stay in his room?" he asked, resentfully.

Sakura flipped to the next page of the chart. "What do you think? He's already been cleared, health-wise. Typical Naruto…"

The blonde patted his side with an obnoxious grin. "Your kidney's doing great inside me, Sasuke."

The Uchiha looked at him, and resisted the urge to throw up. He pushed the blankets aside and got out of bed, ignoring the protest from his sore muscles.

Sakura glanced up from the clipboard. "Hey, where are you going? You're not supposed to be up yet."

Sasuke was already walking out of the room. "I'm getting a coffee."

* * *

Hinata actually found herself enjoying Hanabi's part-time job, despite her initial reservations about it. A lot of her friends worked at the hospital and frequented the coffee shop on their breaks, giving her chances to chat with them for the first time in a while. The work itself wasn't difficult; the other workers let her have the job of making the drinks and handing them out, which was relatively stress-free. Secretly, though, what Hinata liked most about it was the hope it gave her of catching a glimpse of Uzumaki Naruto. The mayor's son was basically her equivalent of a celebrity crush and had, according to the papers, been in an accident and needed a kidney transplant at the hospital.

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't seem to be much of a coffee person, because to Hinata's mild disappointment he never ended up showing at the shop. Someone else did, though.

"Hinata, there's another order for you."

"Got it!" The Hyuuga took the prepared cup and busied herself at the back with making the drink, as Moegi turned to the front to attend to another customer. Setting it aside momentarily to finish up the two drinks in front of it in the queue, she handed those out to the people waiting before returning to the newest order.

Capping off the drink, she held it up to examine it for the name written sloppily in black marker on the side.

"Black coffee for – Sasuke?"

Sure enough, Hinata looked up and found the flower shop gentleman coming forward to claim his coffee. Despite being as coldly handsome as before, she thought he looked rather silly in his thin cotton hospital gown and cheap sandals. Then again, he didn't seem to care, so – after all, he kind of pulled it off, really.

"You again," he observed, taking the coffee from her. "Filling in for a friend?"

"Yes, kind of. How about you?" Hinata eyed Moegi to make sure she wasn't needed on the other end of the counter.

Sasuke adjusted the sleeve around the cup. "Something along the same lines, actually."

He looked like he was about to say more, but suddenly an annoyed voice cut through the chatter filling the room.

"Uchiha Sasuke! What did I tell you about sneaking out of your room for coffee? Get over here right now!"

"Ugh…" Sasuke glanced in the direction of the nurse making her way towards him and sighed. "Sorry, I gotta go."

He hastily ran off, sandals clacking loudly against the linoleum floor. Hinata watched, mystified, as the nurse came marching by after him, sporting an expression of righteous anger on her face.

"Hinata! Another order coming your way!"

"Oh! Sorry. I'm on it." The Hyuuga shook her head and hurried back to her post. As curious as his presence made her, what Uchiha Sasuke was doing at the hospital would have to stay a mystery in the meantime.

* * *

"Black coffee for Sasuke." Hinata wasn't too surprised at this point. He looked like the type to be a coffee addict that no tyrannical nurse could hold down.

Sasuke came forward to take the drink, eyeing her as he did so. "Hey. You're still around."

"You too," replied Hinata, grabbing a towel to rub down the counter in front of her so she had something to do with her hands.

He shrugged, looking vaguely irritable. "I don't heal as fast as _some_ people…"

It was early in the day, so there were only a few other people in the shop and no queue to speak of. Seeing that she wasn't busy, Sasuke took a sip of his coffee and added, "Am I ever going to get your name? It's only fair, since you know mine."

Eyeing the name stitched into her apron, he remarked, "You don't really look like a 'Hanabi,' either."

Hinata glanced up from her cleaning. For some reason, she could feel her cheeks turning red. "Um…you're right. This isn't my apron."

"As I figured," said Sasuke dryly. "What's it going to take? A date, a nice dinner? Just how much will it cost me to find out your name?"

"What? Oh!" Hinata was pretty sure she was gaping like an idiot, shocked by the sudden proposition. She _had_ said he owed her, last time, after all…but this was so sudden! Why was he so persistent? What was she supposed to say? She wasn't witty enough to say something charming that would make him laugh and drop it or intimidating enough to give him a look that would end the conversation. "I…I'm sorry, I'm not…" she stammered.

Sasuke gave her a sidelong look. "Got a boyfriend?"

Hinata hastily shook her head, still not sure what to say.

"Not ready yet?" questioned Sasuke, giving her a wry smile. "Well, I'll try again another time."

Before she could respond, he raised his hand in farewell and walked away. Hinata watched his hospital sandals click loudly against the floor and released a sigh. She had panicked…how typical! She didn't want to be single forever, so she was going to have to start dating sometime. And why not give Uchiha Sasuke a chance? Despite Ino's seemingly unwarranted trepidation towards the young man, he'd appeared pretty normal as far as Hinata had interacted with him. It wasn't like Uzumaki Naruto was about to come sauntering in through the coffee shop door and casually ask her out on a date any time soon.

Sasuke was gone, though, so there was nothing she could do about it for now.

* * *

It seemed she had really messed up, because he never came back after that day, either. Hinata tried not to spend too much time thinking about him, bothered that his absence bothered her so much, and busied herself with her temporary job.

After a couple more weeks, Hanabi returned from South Korea and took back her post in the coffee shop. Hinata was set adrift again, spending time at her apartment writing down observations and dodging her father's messages. Still, it was hard to avoid her family forever.

"Hinata, you need to get a boyfriend."

The young woman blinked. She had been cradling her phone between her ear and her shoulder and washing some dishes while she listened, but when Hanabi had said that, she dried her right hand on a towel and put her phone in it, leaning on the counter.

"Sorry, what?"

"…Or, at least, someone you can take to the wedding," her sister amended. "Someone who cleans up nice. I mean, do you want Daddy to keep setting you up with Neji?"

Hinata winced. Fair point. She was decidedly single, though, thanks to her inability to process a completely warranted proposition from someone she did, after all, consider an acquaintance. She imagined Uchiha Sasuke cleaned up nice. He already looked nice, from all the times she'd seen him before.

Why was she thinking about him again? Hinata frowned at herself and focused her attention back on the phone call.

"Do I _have_ to bring a date? I don't think any of my friends are available…and I'd prefer not having to spend the entire evening with Neji talking to boring CEOs." Neji wasn't terrible, but when he had a job to do, he could be a drag.

"I really think you do," Hanabi replied. "Hell, even I've got one. In any case…you've got a week or two, so no worries. Girl like _you_, Hinata, can get a guy easily."

"I'm not working at Ino's flower shop anymore, remember," pointed out Hinata.

"Oh. Well…" That seemed to give Hanabi some pause. "You've got time. If you're really desperate, I'll lend you a hand. Otherwise, expect some happy alone time with Neji."

"You don't have to make him sound so creepy, Hana…"

"That's basically how it is, isn't it?" Hanabi exclaimed. "Who marries their cousin in this day and age anyway? Oh, I've gotta fly. Let me know how thing go, Hinata."

With that, the connection was cut. Hinata put down her phone and turned back to the sink, face gloomy.

So much for staying out of her father's hair. Without a date, he'd have even more reason to want to lecture her. And she was still not even close to finishing her little project.

Hanabi was right, she did have some time; and it wasn't such a big deal, really. Right?

* * *

The next leg of her project found Hinata working downtown in a macaron store run by the mother of one of her old college friends. The experience was similar to working in the Yamanaka flower shop, though a bit quieter and with fewer male customers.

_Fewer_ didn't mean _no _male customers at all, though. She should've figured.

"God, every place you work at is so _cute_."

Hinata carefully put down the glass cover on the macaron holder and couldn't resist smiling at Sasuke, who stood in the doorway of the shop looking distinctly out of place with his tidy black three-piece suit and dark hair. "Glad to see you're out of the hospital," she told him, walking back the register.

Sasuke nodded briefly in response, eyes flicking over the neat, colorful rows of cookies arrayed behind the glass. "I don't know how we keep bumping into each other," he remarked casually.

Hinata didn't know, either. "I'm…not following you around," she said, as a hasty afterthought.

The young man peered at her with an odd expression. "Of course not. How could you?"

"Oh…right." Hinata turned red, unconsciously beginning to tap her fingers on the white counter. To her relief, he didn't continue to press the silly statement of hers. Instead, he walked forward to more closely examine the macarons, keeping his briefcase slung over his shoulder.

Looking at him, Hinata couldn't help but be reminded of their previous conversation. Sasuke didn't seem too upset about it, though it had been some time ago. Maybe it was time to revisit his proposition. Besides, that wedding was in five days.

"Sasuke," she began, then bit her lip. No. She was too nervous! This was awful.

Sasuke glanced up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

Hinata grasped for something. "Can…can I help you with anything?"

The young man didn't answer right away, still staring at the pink macarons. Finally, he began to shake his head. Hinata exhaled soundlessly. Another chance for her to ask him, she supposed.

"You know…about that thing you asked me last time…" she said, quietly.

Before she could finish what she was about to say, Sasuke spoke up, looking directly at her. "Actually, you can help me out. I need to buy a present for a girl I'm seeing, and I don't know what would be best."

A girl. Hinata bit back her words. She could feel her ears growing uncomfortably warm, her heart hammering hard from surprise and disappointment.

So much for that idea. What kind of idiot was she, expecting a guy like him to stay single for so long? Just because he had asked her out once didn't mean he was going to keep pining after her forever. Hinata couldn't help but feel foolish.

"Hey…" Sasuke was tilting his head at her. "It wasn't that hard of a request, was it? You don't have to help me out if you don't want to. You're probably new here, anyway. Don't beat yourself up if you don't know what to say."

Hinata composed herself in an instant. She was a Hyuuga. A Hyuuga always had class. Mentally she reminded herself that anyway, it wasn't like he had rejected her. But…still, somehow, she couldn't shake the sad feeling that a chance had slipped out from underneath her fingertips without her knowing it.

"It's not a problem at all. Do you have an idea what kind of flavors she likes?" she asked him, putting on a smile.

Sasuke frowned. "Huh. Not a clue."

Hinata fought the urge to ask just how long they had been dating if he didn't know the answer to a basic question like that. "Well, we have sampler packs at a discounted price of fifteen for thirty-five hundred yen. You can get almost two each of every flavor that way."

Blowing out his breath out the side of his mouth in a non-committal manner, Sasuke nodded and lowered his briefcase to dig in his pocket for his wallet. "Sounds good to me…"

After the Uchiha was gone, with his expensive box of assorted macarons in hand, Hinata slumped against the back wall with a sigh. She wasn't sure how to feel. Was she ever going to see him again? Did it even matter?

She didn't have much more time to dwell on it, because someone came into the shop just then, letting the door swing shut loudly behind her. It was Hanabi, wearing a breezy grey and white plaid button-up and black jeans. Hinata briefly wondered why her sister and Sasuke always happened to visit her on the same day before straightening herself up and coming forward to the counter.

"How may I help you?"

Hanabi meandered over, blinking. "You look upset," she said, without further ado.

"I'm not." Hinata tried not to scowl in response. Siblings were so annoying.

"Yes, you are," declared Hanabi. "I won't bother you about it, though. I'm here to pick up – "

"The usual?" Hinata leaned down to grab something from beneath the counter and placed the thin, circular box in front of her sister, eager to be away from that thread of conversation. "I thought you would, so I prepared our most expensive gift box for you. Sixty macarons total."

Hanabi lifted the lid, and regarded the neat array of blue-grey confections inside. "And they're all my favorite flavor. You're on top of your game today, Hinata."

"Thank you," said Hinata, not voicing her self-pitying thought to the contrary. "That'll be twelve thousand two hundred yen." As Hanabi, unruffled, reached for her wallet, her sister added, "Say, Hanabi…I think I need that favor."

The younger girl placed down several bills and raised an eyebrow. "Oh. You mean, about the wedding?"

Hinata nodded, picking up the bills and flicking through them before placing them in the cash register.

"Well, you're in luck. I know someone who also needs a date, and he's just your type. He's a Uchiha, too, and you know what they say about Uchiha men in bed…"

Hinata did not, and she didn't really want to know either. And even though she knew it wasn't going to be the right Uchiha, she still felt a bit of irrational hope at hearing the surname. "What's his name?" she asked, to quickly put an end to her wishful thinking.

"Itachi." Hanabi grinned. Hinata nodded to herself as her sister continued on. "He's a surgeon at the hospital. I chat with him on his breaks sometimes. This'll be great! Seriously, he is totally your type."

Hinata gave her a look, handing over the receipt. "I just need a date for the wedding, Hana, not a boyfriend."

Hanabi ignored her, cheerily pulling out her phone. "Let me give you his number…"

* * *

Hinata planted herself outside the parking lot on the sidewalk, and waited. The wedding was being held at a nice restaurant on the beach, where the reception would later take place; it was quite a walk, so she and Itachi had agreed to meet beforehand and head there together.

Despite Hanabi's insinuations and elbow-nudging, Hinata was not expecting much from the night. In spite of the fact Itachi was a Uchiha (or maybe because of it), she simply didn't feel very enthusiastic about meeting him.

She had nothing personal against him, of course. They hadn't even met yet. It just…wasn't her week.

Hinata wasn't stuck mulling over her thoughts for long, because she heard a door shut in the parking lot and the sound of approaching steps following it. A man came strolling out onto the sidewalk towards her, dressed in a smart light grey suit with a light green tie and neat white pocket square. He had noble cheekbones and dark hair that leaned on the longish side with bangs that framed his face, but not in a feminine way. Something about his eyes suggested he was good-humored. That was not, however, what Hinata found most interesting.

"You're Sasuke's brother!" she blurted out.

Uchiha Itachi's expression grew amused. "So I am," he said, "but…usually I just go by Itachi."

"Of course, sorry." Hinata reddened, taking ahold of herself. She shook his proffered hand, her grip rather embarrassingly limp. "Hinata. It's nice to meet you."

"Hinata, it's a pleasure," said Itachi. "Shall we get going?"

Hinata nodded, and joined his side to start walking. Not quite sure what to say, she was almost relieved when the man spoke up again.

"So how do you know my little brother? College?"

Hinata winced. It was unfair to expect Itachi not to be curious. Still, the whole thing was pretty embarrassing…

"No, actually. It's just – " She glanced downwards. "I've been seeing him around a lot lately for some reason, and we've never met beforehand, so…"

"Ah." Itachi nodded in an understanding manner, already struggling not to smile. "You know," he remarked, "the other day my brother told me about this pretty girl he kept seeing around…but he never mentioned she was a Hyuuga."

The young woman blinked, surprise growing on her face as his words processed in her mind. She hastily tried to conceal her reaction by asking him a question. "H-how is he? The last time I saw him, he mentioned he was dating someone…"

The two stopped at a crosswalk, and waited for cars to pass. Itachi put his hand in his pants pocket and explained, "He's single now, actually. My father was making him date Karin as a favor to an old friend." He couldn't help but eye Hinata for her next reaction. "He didn't really feel anything special for her, though, and he's not cruel enough to lead her on after he figured that out."

"Oh, I see…" Hinata absorbed this with the kind of transparent wonderment of a child for the first time finding out a simple fact of life. In a way, Itachi was glad he had been the one to break the news to her. Sasuke really knows how to pick them, he mused. What a shame.

Aloud he said, "You should know that he's kind of an idiot, and really passive. When it comes to stuff he actually cares about, anyway."

What a coincidence, Hinata thought. So am I.

Itachi glanced at his watch to check on whether they were running late and added, "Want his number?"

To his surprise, Hinata didn't blush, or stammer, or anything of the sort. In fact, her expression had grown rather…resolute. "No," she said. "That would be unfair."

Unfair? Itachi quirked an eyebrow, not quite sure what she meant. Then, quietly, she continued, "…You can't tell him my name, either, okay?"

And Itachi realized just why, for an entire week, his mother's house had been filled with flowers. Clearly Hinata was not someone on which to waste cheap pickup lines and smoldering looks. Maybe Sasuke had finally found someone for whom it was worth taking it slow.

"Sure," he said. "Your secret's safe with me."

* * *

Itachi proved a pleasant date, though Hinata found him almost…_too _nice. Someone like him – attractive, successful, intelligent, kind – really could not be _that _perfect, she figured. He had to have some weird creepy flaw to him, or else his existence was just…unfair. In any case, for a while she didn't find out whether he was actually a man of his word or not, because for the next couple of weeks she did not bump into Sasuke again.

He was hardly the first thing on her mind, though, because Hinata had finally compiled enough field research to put the finishing touches on the proposal she wanted to present her father. Getting hands-on retail experience had not exactly been one of the things she had imagined herself doing in order to convince him to take charge of her own enterprise under the Hyuuga company name, but it had given her more insight than she had expected.

Father had been rather pleasantly surprised with her initiative, and was more open to her presentation than she anticipated. Still, though he agreed to the idea, it did not come without one last price.

"All I'm saying is, you look really nice today."

Hinata waved his words away, glancing around at the interior of the gift shop. For a science museum, there sure was a lot of…colorful paraphernalia on sale. "I told you, I'm here on business. Honestly…"

Kiba, still leaning his elbows rather irreverently on the counter, grinned up at her. "Hey, can't I speculate? You've been pretty secretive on what you've been up to for the past, I dunno, two months or so. Aren't we…_friends_, Hinata?!"

Kiba was not spectacular at playing the pity card. Shino could probably do more with an impassive stare to move Hinata to apology. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

The young man grumbled, and gave up. When his phone vibrated in his pocket, he lazily pulled it out to glance at its screen. Once he read the message on it, though, his expression turned alarmed.

"Shoot, Hinata, take the counter for half an hour!" Before the Hyuuga could react, Kiba had leapt over and pulled off his apron with remarkable speed, throwing it at her. "I gotta go pick up my dogs from the vet!"

Before Hinata could respond, or even protest, he was gone. The door chime jingled cheerfully in the wake of his hasty exit as she stared down at the apron in her hands. With a sigh, she put it over her nice dress and assumed Kiba's position at the counter.

It was Wednesday, so there weren't too many people visiting the museum or the gift shop in general. Hinata tried not to fiddle with her hair or wonder about the legality of Kiba leaving her here while she kept her eye on her phone's screen to keep track of the time. When the door jingled again, she glanced up to greet the newcomer.

It was Sasuke, in a stark black business suit. Neither of them were very surprised to see each other again.

"You clean up well," she told him.

Sasuke scratched the back of his neck at the compliment. Today the Hyuuga girl looked even more put together than usual, with her dark hair in a classic bun and wearing immaculate matte red lipstick. He mused absently that he preferred her with her hair down; it suited her better.

"Getting a present for the girlfriend?" Her voice interrupted his thoughts.

Sasuke rather despised the term "girlfriend" at that point, especially since Naruto and Sakura had not held back from teasing the hell out of him about Karin for the past week, but the question didn't bother him much for some reason. "We broke up," he explained. "She wasn't my type."

"I see." She pressed her lips together, looking thoughtful. "I'm…sorry to hear that."

"No need to offer condolences," said Sasuke wryly. "I'm perfectly fine. Anyway, does this place sell any good luck charms? I have an important meeting today, and I'm going to need all the help I can get…"

The young lady opened her mouth as if to say something before deciding otherwise. She turned to look at the shelf behind her, when Sasuke spoke up again.

"You know what would be even better, though?"

She stopped in the middle of her pivot and gazed curiously at him, her bangs falling in her lavender eyes.

"Getting your name." Sasuke glanced at the tag on her apron. "Because I'm pretty sure it's not Kiba."

The young woman bit her lip, something Sasuke was troubled to find extremely charming, and looked like she was about to refuse him again. But then she went ahead and surprised him.

"Hyuuga Hinata. But you can call me Hinata."

"Hinata," repeated Sasuke, voice lingering on each syllable. It was like the best present he'd ever gotten. Just a name, but it felt almost like…more than that. Then again, after all these weeks of her playing hard to get, it sort of was. Out of all the women he'd ever tried to date, she was really special.

Hinata nodded, watching his expression. The Uchiha looked utterly pleased with himself. She never would have imagined telling someone her name would make someone's day like it seemed to have made Sasuke's. In response, she couldn't help a smile from spreading on her own face.

"Good enough?" she asked, though the question seemed unnecessary at this point.

"Absolutely." He flashed her a smile, and surprised her again. "Hinata. Go on a date with me."

"Let me think about it," she responded, without even missing a beat. Then she snapped her mouth shut, surprised at herself.

Sasuke merely blinked. "As always, you drive a hard bargain."

"I'll tell you my answer before the end of today," Hinata promised. She realized then that would have been the perfect moment to whirl around and dramatically leave, except she couldn't because she was manning the counter for Kiba. In the end, for all her coyness, she was still her typical, less than cool self. The thought was almost reassuring.

Luckily, Sasuke gave her an out. He inclined his head in response, and turned to leave. "Fair enough. I'll see you later."

The bell chime jangled with his exit. Hinata leaned on the back shelf, heart pounding, and wondered what it was about these conversations with Uchiha Sasuke.

Truth be told, she'd never have so much…fun. She found she could count and remember every one of their brief encounters – she couldn't stop smiling like an idiot when she thought of any random snippet of conversation they'd exchanged. Of all the male acquaintances Hinata had, none treated her quite like Sasuke did. Most were too careful with what they said, all too wary of her family name; or too gentle, thinking her some damsel in distress or princess to be worshipped from afar. Sasuke, on the other hand, was oddly – if not refreshingly – honest, and confident in a way that was, she realized, really attractive. He could walk around in a cheap hospital gown and look like he could care less, handle rejection much more gracefully than she ever could, buy tons of flowers like a mama's boy…

She wanted to see more of him. Well, that would happen soon enough. And sooner than Sasuke knew, actually. Hinata smiled despite herself.

* * *

"All right, change of plans. We've just received word Hyuuga's bringing in his trump card – his best negotiator. I've heard bad things about that one…we're not going to get any sympathy here. To get our plan accepted we'll have to bring our A game. So be ready to turn on the charm, Uchiha."

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Even after five successful years as the company mediator, people still attributed all his hard work to his looks. At this point, he was too accustomed to the assumption to be offended by it. Charm was a part of the process, anyway, just not…all of it.

"I will," he told his superior, squaring up his shoulders.

When Hinata entered the room, though, no shop apron to be seen, revealing her black sheath dress and matching heels, Sasuke realized it wouldn't be so easy.

* * *

The meeting was over. His business partners packed up their things and filed out of the room, patting him on the back or congratulating on how smoothly his presentation went. Sasuke was not so optimistic; he'd done his best, but he had a feeling it probably wasn't going to be enough.

On the other side of the room, the Hyuuga negotiator lingered behind, picking up her papers and placing them in a briefcase. Sasuke meandered over, spurred by curiosity or need for closure or some masochistic tendency.

"I never had a chance," he said, "did I?"

Hinata glanced up, and seemed to be suppressing a smile. "You shouldn't be so down on yourself, Sasuke. As a rule, I try not to let my personal opinions interfere with my business decisions."

Didn't that mean she had a poor image of him? Or was it that his image was _good_, and she was trying not to let it bias her decision? Sasuke twitched, suddenly conflicted. Neither thought was too appealing.

Hinata bit her lip and switched her briefcase from one hand to another, suddenly looking shy. "I told you I'd have an answer for you as to your earlier question. But I should probably make things clear on both fronts, so…here goes."

Sasuke had a sudden mental image of a future where his company and Hyuuga Hiashi's cooperated together as hoped, but Hinata refused to go out with him. He'd have to see her all the time! It would be _torture_. To bask in her presence and yet not have it as his own. Sort of...like the past several weeks, actually.

The thought was so depressing that he completely missed what she said next, which was a shame, because it had taken a considerable amount of effort for Hinata to get out. "Sasuke?" she asked timidly, when he didn't respond.

Sasuke snapped out of his dark daydream and re-focused on her face. "Wait, what?"

Hinata's blush deepened. "No to the offer, but yes to the date," she said in a rush. "S-sorry!"

He stared at her for so long she nearly became certain she had said something wrong. And then a huge, pleased grin spread across his face. He said, "Finally!"

"Yes, finally," agreed Hinata. "And I'm resigning from my position in the Hyuuga company after this meeting, so there won't be a conflict of interest."

"Good, because I'm going to try again. With the deal, I mean. And this time, you can tell me all their weaknesses."

She laughed, moving to the door with a lightness to her step she'd never expected to feel in heels. "That's not happening, Sasuke."

Sasuke followed her out of the room. "Fair enough."

"But one thing – let me pay for dinner." Hinata smiled. "So I can start compensating you back for all the money you've already spent on me…"

* * *

This took me ages to write…oh, and the inaccuracy is that Naruto and Sasuke don't have matching blood types, so Naruto could never donate a kidney to him in the first place. Did you figure it out?


End file.
